• the217
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• Editor's Note

I’ve been getting this strange vibe this week from everyone around me. It’s kind of like finals week when you know what everyone is thinking about and you can just sense the stress radiate off of everyone like the sweet scent of BO. But obviously, finals are out of sight in the last week of July and I couldn’t figure out what was up with everyone until the fifth person this week asked me if I had a place to stay for them for a little bit. And then it all made sense.

It’s moving time again, making for one of the more chaotic weeks in CU. With furniture being abandoned everywhere and dumpster divers sniffing the couches outside to decide whether or not they’re worth bringing home and sitting on, this is the time of the year when you really notice how transient and nomadic our town really is.

Fortunately, for me, I don’t have to worry about it this week, but it becomes somewhat of a communal effort as everyone has to pitch in and help out their friends by providing a place so stay, a car to pack or another back to break.

The leasing situations around here are actually pretty frustrating and impossible sometimes. Your lease runs out one week and the next one doesn’t start until two weeks later. What do you do during that time? Where do you put all your stuff? Where do you put yourself? And since when was moving one block such a difficult process?

But I’ve heard of some pretty creative solutions. I’ve had friends who have quietly used their apartment complexes’ storage closet to hide their stuff until they could move in to their new home. I also knew someone who just refused to move out when he was supposed to. No one noticed and he got to stay an extra week until he could move into his new place.

So if you’re one of those projected to be homeless within the next few weeks, I feel for you. While it’s nice this year to be a little more settled, I’ve been through the whole process three times before. Just be creative, ask for help and keep an eye out for free furniture on the corner of streets for your next place.